MD:Think twice before warming car up, you could get a ticket

OCEAN CITY, Md. – With the chilly weather we’re seeing, you may be tempted to warm your car up in the morning before you leave the house. But that could leave you with a pricey ticket. This year, Maryland officials are reminding residents that it’s illegal to leave your car unattended and running for more than five minutes. They also say the law requires you to secure your car properly before leaving it, meaning the car is locked and turned off. In terms of getting your car warm, they actually tell us the best and legal way to do that, is by actually driving it.

“It is a violation of the transportation article and it’s important we don’t want folks to become victims of motor vehicle theft or theft of items from their vehicles as they leave their vehicle unattended and leave it running,” said Lieutenant Dennis Eade with the Ocean City Police Department.

Officials add that if you are caught breaking this law you could face a $70 fine and one point on your driving record.